Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Batholith is a collection of six tracks that are near and dear to bardo pond but, for some reason or another, have never previously been released. That one-sentence description might lead one to think that these tracks are "outtakes" or cutting-room floor type material - neither conclusion could be further from the truth. The tracks included on "Batholith" range from previous live staples ("a tune" one made 'famous' by opening bardo pond's set at terrorstock II in San Francisco as joined by Roy Montgomery [and a recording of which was featured on the KFJC compilation live from the devil's triangle, volume 2] to tracks the band recorded in John Peel sessions.

Collected as a whole , these tracks form a fluid and cohesive album. Batholith is not just an exciting moment for long time bardo pond fans, but a great jumping on point for folks who are relatively new to their craft.

As per the three lobed standard, Batholtih is pressed on 180 gram RTI vinyl. It is housed within a heavy "old-style" one pocket stoughton gatefold jacket bearing new artwork by John Gibbons and Isobel Sollenberger.

Released as a limted edition of 1049 copies, includes a glass-mastered CD of the material present on the album.